


red sweaters and golden trios

by GirlOfSaltAndStars



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dialogue Light, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23010718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlOfSaltAndStars/pseuds/GirlOfSaltAndStars
Summary: Harry learns who his soulmate is
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 203
Collections: Writing Rainbow Red





	red sweaters and golden trios

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firstlovelatespring](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstlovelatespring/gifts).



> Can be read as Gen or slash, take your pick.
> 
> Also, I stalked your profile and this was the only fandom I saw you read/write I knew so I hope you enjoyfirstlovelatespring!

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that when Harry turned 18 (finally, finally), the names scrawled across his arms were almost as familiar as his own. 

Hermione Granger was written on his left arm, in her neat looping font, familiar from years of reading her notes on his essays. 

Ron Weasley was on his left in a messy scrawl that Harry had spent years learning to decipher from notes passed in class. 

Harry was scared. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t love them. No, Harry loved Hermione and Ron more than words could say. Ron was wizard chess, warm sweaters, a hand on his back, and a loud laugh. Hermione was a blazing fire, the spark of magic, and the smell of ink on parchment. 

They were his left and right, two parts of him that he could never live without but… Harry was broken. Sure he’d saved the world, he’d killed Voldemort but so many people had died. Ron had lost his brother because of Harry. Hermione had sent her parents to Australia and they had yet to locate them. 

Harry had ruined their lives. 

And by being their soulmate (by being the third wheel) he’d ruined their chance at a happy, normal life. He was sure Arthur and Molly wanted Ron and Hermione to get married and have kids and if Hermione’s parents ever returned, who would want their daughter to have two soulmates, forced on her by magic, one of them the boy who very nearly got her killed multiple times?

Besides, Harry had known it was only a matter of time until they asked him to leave or until they left, once life had settled. They were together and Harry was just there. It pained him, to imagine a life without the companionship of the others, but it was what it was. Now.. now his selfishness had trapped them, somehow. 

Harry ran. 

Not far, mind you, he could never really run from them, but he ran. They would have only just now gotten his name since he’d just turned eighteen. It would take time for them to find him, sitting in the beginnings of what would be a memorial to those killed during the war.

For now, it was just stone and dirt, nothing remarkable or memorial like. It had been Luna’s design, she just wasn’t well enough yet to oversee the project and Harry himself has insisted that she be the one to do it. 

He sat and waited. Ron and Hermione had been out when he’d woken up a few hours ago. There had been a card on the table, which he assumed was a birthday card but he’d hardly glanced at it as he’d apparated from their flat. Harry assumed they were helping Molly set up for his birthday dinner or something, but he knew they would be back later. 

He hadn’t left any notes or clues, but somehow Harry had no doubt they would find him, so he sat and waited and reflected on the last several years of his life. 

\----  
Soulmates were unique to the Wizarding World. 

It was something about how magic was tied to a person’s soul and whatnot. They were also considered very private and taboo to discuss in public. Only families talked about them and Harry didn’t have much of that to spare. (Hermione had tried to explain once first year, but Ron nor Harry had much cared at the time, then well, you know what happened). 

They spent the next several years of their life practically inseparable. Even when they were fighting or separated by physical distance they each knew that when push came to shove they were the Golden Trio. They had each other’s backs. 

Ron rescued Harry from his aunt and uncle, Harry rescued Ron from the lake, Hermione saved them both more times than they could count and they reminded Hermione when to eat. 

Summers and winters were spent together and the school days passed with them together. When Ron left them in the forest it hurt. Harry and Hermione clung to each other trying not to trip, trying not to fall hard now that their normal balance was gone. They were more glad then they could express when Ron came back. Things were just… Right. 

Hermione and Ron had faced a far worse feeling when they realized Harry was gone from the battle( and their world inverted completely when they saw Harry lying lifelessly in Hagrid's arms) and thanked every god they knew when Harry returned to them. 

When the war was over, it only felt natural to go together somewhere, to rent a flat where they could all live. The three of them hadn’t functioned well without the others in a long time. If anyone thought it odd, they didn’t dare express it to the Golden Trio. Two months after the battle and the war was won but far from over. Death Eaters were still a threat, the ministry was a mess, and Hogwarts was still in shambles so despite living together they were all busy and had little time where all three of them were at home. (A heavily warded, safely guarded home)

And in the midst of all that, soulmates were the farthest thing from any of their minds.  
\--  
They found him by lunch, which was honestly slower than Harry anticipated. Maybe the set of with Molly had taken longer, or she’d had more patience (or maybe not enough energy to do much- she’d only gotten out of bed a month ago the first time. Harry thought morosely, as they popped into existence a few feet away.)

“Harry, it’s us,” Hermione called softly, though Harry had known without even turning around. Perhaps it was dangerous (Moody would have had a cow,)but Harry just… knew somehow. Maybe it was magic or the soulmate bullshit. 

He didn’t look at them, didn’t even try to hide the names on his arms. They already had them, probably had since they’d been up, but, maybe they hadn’t. Harry wasn’t sure. 

But, when Hermione sat down on his left and Ron on his right, their sleeves were up and Harry had no doubt. His name was scrawled there, in his messy handwriting, no doubt about it. 

“Why are you here?” Ron asked quietly “My mum is going mental because you didn’t respond to her owl right away.” 

Harry furrowed his brow “I.. I didn’t know-didn’t know if you guys would want me around right now” 

“What?”Ron asked, looking baffled “What the bloody hell are you talking about? It’s your fucking-” 

“Ron,” Hermione admonished, sounding somewhere between found and exasperated, but turning her attention to Harry “You were worried about us being soulmates.” 

Harry couldn’t lie to Hermione. He could, but he found himself nodding. “Yeah.” he admitted “You two.. Everyone expects you to pair off and for me to find a lady. I don’t... I don’t want to ruin that for you two.” 

“Ruin it?” Ron said, making a face “The two of us aren’t even... Harry, you can’t ruin it. There isn’t an us without you, dummy.” 

Harry didn’t understand. Hermione and Ron had kissed at the battle and while they hadn’t done much in front of Harry, he assumed they didn’t want to rub his failed relationship in (though he wasn’t particularly upset about it.).  
Hermione sighed “You boys are so dense. Harry. Ron and I.. we... We didn’t want to say anything until today, but we need you. We just wanted to make sure..” 

“We wanted to make sure that you were our soulmate” Ron filled in “We’re all a package deal. Everyone knows that, even my mum. And if they don’t like it they can stuff it.” 

That startled a laugh from Harry because that was Ron. “You guys aren’t upset?” 

“Upset? Oh no, Harry. We’re thrilled. This is all we ever hoped for.” Hermione’s face was shining but it fell and she chewed her lip as if something just occurred to her. “ If you don’t want it though..” 

“No!” Harry exclaimed “No, this... I’m glad. I.. I couldn’t imagine anything else.” 

The smiles of his friends, his soulmates were brilliant and something eased in Harry’s heart. They had more to talk about more to discuss, but this was good. 

They weren’t leaving him and maybe, just maybe Ron was right. Maybe it didn’t matter. 

“Come on,” Hermione said, standing up “We need to get ready for your dinner tonight before Molly skins us all.” 

Ron snorted”And she is in just the tissy to do it. She’ll have a right cow if we aren’t on time, new soulmates or not.” 

Harry smiled and took their hands. This might be his best birthday yet.


End file.
